1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an attachment for paper shredders for receiving and feeding printed matter, in particular, crumpled paper, as it is found in wastepaper baskets and the like collecting containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In practice, paper shredders are known which have a cabinet-type or cabinet-like base in which the cutting assembly for shredding the fed material is arranged above a collecting chamber. Feeding is carried out from the upper area wherein, in the so-called upper part of the housing, a substantially horizontally positioned or downwardly slanted slot for receiving smooth, sheet-like material is provided as well as, if desired, a receiving containerxe2x80x94feed hopperxe2x80x94provided for so-called crumpled paper, for example, for the contents of a wastepaper basket, and detachably or fixedly arranged on the upper part.
These receiving containers are generally provided at the front, i.e., facing the operator, with a transparent front plate and have at their surface a fill opening which, in general, covers almost the entire surface area. The lower surface of these attachments is designed with respect to the constructive configuration relative to the upper surface of the upper part of the housing of the paper shredders such that the material that is filled inxe2x80x94for example, crumpled paperxe2x80x94can fall directly into the space in front of the cutting rollers. Depending on the make, it is furthermore provided that the cutting assembly, after actuation of a start button, runs continuously or, during filling of the crumpled material, the cutting assembly is started by actuation of a switch element, for example, a light barrier.
Such a paper shredder is, for example, the model xe2x80x9cHSM P 450 CCxe2x80x9d. For preventing danger areas on this device, the safety regulations/standard, EN 294 of 1992 (European standard), requires that, as a function of the position of the danger areas, i.e., in these devices the position of the cutting assembly of the paper shredder, the upper edge of the receiving container, measured from the foot print area of the paper shredder, must have a certain minimum height in the vertical direction.
This has the consequence that, for example, in the case of an arrangement of the cutting assembly at a height of 1000 mm and of a spacing of the feeding edge for the material to be destroyed of 300 mm, in general, from the front side of the paper shredder, the upper edge of the receiving container must have a height of at least 1600 mm.
Accordingly, these devices are very tall so that a great material expenditure for the manufacture of such paper shredders is the result, or the paper shredders which are built to a height below the height limit values determined by the standard must have additional safety features at the fill opening of the aforementioned receiving container.
For example, in the paper shredder xe2x80x9cIDEAL 4605xe2x80x9d (see copy of brochure according to attachment 2) a railing is provided laterally and rearwardly at the upper edge of the receiving container; the foldable material receiving table for the sheet-like material ensures the safety spacing from the filling side in this device.
According to a further known solution, the paper shredder xe2x80x9cTAROS 50.66xe2x80x9d, the fill opening of the receiving container is secured by a lid positioned at the top which actuates a safety switch when opened. The solution requires further material and circuit-technical expenditures and additional labor for the operator when feeding the aforementioned crumpled material.
In a further paper shredder, the model xe2x80x9c5540 Cxe2x80x9d, the housing of the paper shredder is relatively low relative to the aforementioned paper shredders but, on the other hand, this paper shredder projects very far laterally. This paper shredder has laterally positioned feed inlets, i.e., an insertion slot for sheet-like material and a receiving box, spaced laterally farther outwardly from it, into which the so-called crumpled paper can be emptied which is then guided via a covered transport belt to the cutting assembly. The spacing of this feeding location to the cutting assembly depends on the height of the through gap for the crumpled material, i.e., the spacing from the transport belt vertically in the upward direction to the cover. This solution also requires much material for the manufacture of the paper shredder; moreover, the required foot print area is much greater in comparison to the paper shredders having a vertical extension.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide an attachment for paper shredders which is arranged fixedly or optionally on a paper shredder with which a paper shredder together with the positioned attachment, while complying with the safety regulations prescribed by the standard, has a relatively low total device height in comparison to the known devices despite a minimal foot print area.
This object is solved for an attachment for paper shredders for receiving and feeding printed matter, in particular, of so-called crumpled material, with an attachment which has an integrated closure unit provided with movable or mobile parts with which the fill opening of the attachment and the transition area between the receiving chamber and the feed shaft are opened and closed alternatingly, and means for actuating and controlling the closure unit.
The advantages of the invention reside primarily in that, for a minimal foot print area of the paper shredder, it has a minimal device height relative to the aforementioned known paper shredders, wherein this device height must depend substantially only on the desired container volume of the collecting chamber for the shredded material.
This novel attachment, which receives the aforementioned so-called crumpled paper and feeds it to the cutting assembly, is configured in this connection particularly such that an accidental insertion of the hand through the receiving chamber of the attachment into the cutting assembly cannot occur, wherein, however, waste material can be filled or refilled into the receiving chamber of the attachment even when the cutting assembly is in operation.
Moreover, the novel attachment has the advantage that the waste material supplied for shredding, for example, crumpled paper and the like material of an office wastepaper basket, can be supplied by metered feeding into the cutting assembly.
The novel attachment is characterized, in particular, in that it comprises a closure unit, wherein the closure units itself or individual parts or structural components thereof are movable, in particular, are rotatable or mobile. By means of this closure unit, a fill opening of the attachment and a transition area (opening) between the material receiving chamber and the feed shaft to the cutting assembly can be opened and closed, in particular, simultaneously, such that an accidental insertion of the hand through the receiving chamber of the attachment into the cutting assembly cannot occur.
The paper shredder, onto which the attachment for receiving and feeding printed matter is primarily to be placed, has preferably a housing whose lower area has a cabinet-like base and whose upper area is a preferably optionally removable upper housing part, together with the cutting assembly arranged in the upper area of the housing, with cutting rollers and stripper bars, as well as a correlated drive device, wherein above the cutting assembly a feed shaft for the so-called crumpled paper is provided.
The attachment is arranged fixedly or optionally removable above this feed shaft on the housing, wherein the attachment essentially forms together with a covered, perforated upper area of the upper housing part a receiving chamber for the so-called crumpled paper and wherein this receiving chamber is in communication with the feed shaft. The mobile or movable closure unit or components thereof have correlated therewith means for their actuation and control.
In particular, it is provided that the closure unit comprises a movable closing element which is preferably arranged to be rotatable about a horizontal axis; if needed, it can also be rotated about a vertical axis.
The movable closing element of the closure unit is especially a cylindrical base member in which, by cutting out half the mantle surface, a receiving trough is formed which is arranged so as to be horizontally rotatable about the longitudinal axis of its body.
According to a further embodiment, the movable closing element of the closure unit is a cylindrical hollow body which is arranged so as to be rotatable vertically about the longitudinal axis of its body, wherein this hollow body has an opening in its mantle surface which matches the opening provided in the front surface of the attachment and comprises a further opening in its mantle surface, wherein these openings both provided in the hollow body are staggered relative to one another such that also in this context the feed shaft above the cutting assembly is closed when the front surface of the attachmentxe2x80x94in the position fillingxe2x80x94is open.
The hollow body can also have a shape deviating from that of a cylinder; the basic shape of the body can be a cube, a parallelepiped, a column or a prism, wherein at least two openings are provided and one of these openings is correlated with the opening in the front surface of the attachment and the other opening is correlated with the feed shaft.
Another development provides that the movable closing element is arranged slidably in a vertical and/or horizontal plane or a plane which extends at a slant between the aforementioned planes.
Moreover, the movable closing element can be comprised of two parts which are coupled with one another, wherein one part of the movable closing element is movable in the vertical direction and the other part is moveable in the horizontal direction or in a plane arranged at a slant. Preferably, one of these parts is correlated with the opening in a front surface of the attachment and the other part is correlated with the feed shaft arranged in the upper part of the housing.
The invention is also characterized by a method for filling of a paper shredder by using an attachment for paper shredders, wherein, according to the novel method steps, the closing action of the opening in the front surface of the attachment and the opening action of the feed shaft are carried out simultaneously.
A further development of the method suggests that the closing action of the opening in the front surface of the attachment and the opening action of the feed shaft are carried out simultaneously and continuously progressively.
According to a further development of the method, it is provided that the closing action of the opening in the front surface of the attachment and the opening action of the feed shaft are carried out simultaneously and acceleratingly progressively.
Moreover, according to a further embodiment, it is provided that the closing action of the opening of the front surface of the attachment and the opening action of the feed shaft are carried out simultaneously and deceleratingly progressively.
According to a special method embodiment, it is provided that the closing action of the opening in the front surface of the attachment and the opening action of the feed shaft are carried out simultaneously and progressively in intervals.